Fact: The more personal your funding appeals and follow-up contacts are, the more money you will raise for ministry.

Fact: Letters alone will not raise the money you need to minister.

That being said…

As you work through the names of potential ministry partners, you’ll likely pinpoint a handful of people whom you simply won’t be able to meet with in person to conduct a funding appeal. Sending this group of people a letter like the ones in this section can help you invite them to your team. But do remember that you’ll want to phone them after they’ve had a chance to read the letter to see how God is leading.

Tip: When you phone, begin the conversation like this:

“Hi, Steve. This is Roger. I sent you a letter recently telling you about my exciting new ministry with The Navigators. I was hoping we could talk about this new chapter in my life for a few minutes. Is this a good time?”

Don’t begin by saying:

“Hi, Steve. This is Roger. I sent you a letter recently telling you about my exciting new ministry with The Navigators. Do you remember getting it?”

This introduction will derail your conversation if they didn’t receive the letter, don’t remember the letter, didn’t read the letter, etc. For a sample phone conversation script, see the Phone Appeal section.

Funding Letter Do's & Don'ts

Do:

-Focus the appeal on ministry. Help people know they are changing lives through their giving.